Piab’s Chip ejector eases breathing for COVID-19 patients

Date 5/6/2020

Vacuum generation with Piab’s Chip Ejector X10L help to pump bronchial secretion within aspirators created by a large medical equipment manufacturer, which ensures that secretions, blood and other liquids can be sucked off quietly and in large quantities.

We are all doing our best to stem the spread of COVID-19. We practice social distancing, wear face masks and disposable gloves and have never washed our hands as often as we do now. And yet the virus spreads, often in a mild form, but sometimes with its full force.

This is exactly where all industrial manufacturers are now called upon to remedy the situation for those affected by saving their lives. Maintaining a functioning breathing capability is of utmost importance. In addition to respiratory machines, secretion aspirators are needed in large numbers to stabilize the lung function of the ill. A large medical technology manufacturer has therefore increased its production of bronchial secretion aspirators tremendously. Piab has followed suit and is meeting the demand by delivering its Chip ejector in large quantities at short notice.

These bronchial secretion aspirators are equipped with Piab’s mini pump Chip. This very small two-stage ejector has a suction power of up to 50 liters per minute at an operating pressure of 5.5 bar. This allows large amounts of secretions, blood and other fluids to be sucked out to help heal the affected lungs.

The Chip Ejector X10L is a unique mini pump specially designed for medical vacuum technology. Each ejector is tested in the laboratory by Piab, cleaned and individually packed in multiuse trays, free of grease and oil.

Bernd Gries, Manager Global Sales S-OEM, adds: “Our Chip ejector X10L has proven itself for years as a vacuum generator in bronchial secretion aspirators. This mini pump was chosen because it can be adjusted very precisely and delivers continuously reproducible results. This means at certain fixed points for regulation, where the feed pressure determines the vacuum level to be reached, these must always be met. So if you switch back and forth between different feed pressure settings, the exact same vacuum level must always be achieved. It is essential for the trouble-free operation of a bronchial secretion aspirators in everyday clinical practice that it is easy to use and that it works reliably and reproducibly. Since the compressed air is generated with pure oxygen, the fat and oil-free delivery is particularly important."

The Chip ejector X10L reaches a maximum vacuum of -93 kPa and is particularly finely controllable due to its so-called “butterfly valves,” which regulate the air flow between the two stages of the ejector.

About Piab

Piab provides smart solutions for the automated world, helping thousands of end users and machine producers in e-commerce logistics, food, pharma, medtech, automotive and other manufacturing industries to improve energy-efficiency, productivity and working environments. With more than 500 employees, and SEK 1,3 bn in sales 2019, Piab is a global organization, serving customers in almost 70 countries from a network of subsidiaries and distributors. By leveraging the ongoing technological development in automation and robotics, and targeting high-growth segments and geographies, Piab's vision is to become the global leader in gripping and moving solutions.

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